Because Why Not Another Trope-Breaking Story: Macky Reads Frogkisser

Garth Nix has done it again with Frogkisser!, featuring  Princess Anya of Trallonia, younger sister of the heir apparent and bookworm extraordinaire. (Gotta give the girl mad props for knowing her priorities, as when given a choice between an epic quest and a book, she would choose the book.) Yet, in the realms of reluctant heroes, she manages to play her part in her tale perfectly. Add in the best sidekicks ever, some amazing lore (courtesy of Mr. Nix), and a simple enough villain with terrible enough powers to warrant some true worry as to whether or not the day can be saved.

Frogkisser! is a straightforward middle-grade tale with quite a few twists on the usual fairytale tropes.  It's very entertaining, and frankly, I really loved the ending. (Seriously, what a genius way to play with the 'kiss a frog' trope.) It's fairly well-paced and epic in scale, and it might be because I'm biased as a huge Garth Nix fan, but the man has this amazing ability to write a good tale. (And what a departure from the heaviness of the Abhorsen series, the Ragwitch and Shades Children.) It's middle grade, yes, but boy, is it packed with good stuff that even adult fans of MG will find very cool.

If you want something that will deviate from the norm, while keeping all things original fairytale, well, Frogkisser! is precisely the book for you.

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

Publisher: Scholastic | Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Source: Hardcover borrowed from the library

Buy the Book: Book Depository | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes and Noble